


Sink or Swim

by B_eden



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Dubious Consent, Fear, Fear Play, Incest, M/M, Possessive Bro, Protective bro, Stridercest - Freeform, fear kink, fear of water, rather sadistic Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-24 20:02:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17710640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B_eden/pseuds/B_eden
Summary: Dave almost drowns as a kid but Bro saves him. He is terrified of water now. What does Bro do late one night when they’re alone at a mansion Bro’s house-sitting for a friend, and Bro watches Dave trying to face his fears in the huge pool?





	Sink or Swim

**Author's Note:**

> If you wanna know more about me as a writer and a person, (please follow I get so lonely and insecure) you can follow my:
> 
> Blog: https://caspercrowblog.wordpress.com  
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrowCasper  
> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writercaspercrow

Dave Strider still didn’t know how to swim.

 

 

Not that he had much access to a pool to learn in the first place. There was the pool at the gym where Bro would work out all the time, but the gym was huge, and Dave felt he had missed the age to learn without other people judging him for not already knowing how.

 

 

Not knowing to swim wasn’t that big of a deal, other than cool guys should probably know how to swim just on the off chance they needed to save somebody or ironically cannonball at the most opportune moment to ruin someone else’s day.

 

 

Then there were these awkward times that Bro would house-sit for this rich douchebag he’d known since before Dave was around. Every year that guy would go out of the country for a couple of weeks, and before he would go, he’d throw this big pool party with a zillion people, and somehow Bro always wound up dragging Dave along. Not that Dave would miss the opportunity to snoop around that massive mansion for a couple of weeks, but the pool party he could do without. It triggered too many memories of when he’d first become traumatized of the water in the first place at one of those stupid parties.

 

 

Dave had been so young. He was curious about the water. Bro had stuck him in a floating ring and let him coast around in the shallow end. Bro was reclining in a lawn chair, and plenty of girls thought Bro was irresistible every time Dave would kick his way over to him and Bro would nudge the float to make Dave float away giggling. Dave didn’t notice that several guys were bitter over this fact. He didn’t hear them scoffing under their breath and insulting them.

 

 

Dave eventually grew hungry, and Bro guessed that was the reason he was getting cranky. He pulled Dave out of the water and set him up with a big plate of grilled food. Bro told Dave to stay away from the edge of the pool. He reminded him he wasn’t wearing a float anymore. Then Bro sank back into the lawn chair and pulled his hat down lower like he meant to nap. Dave would later realize this was Bro’s way of avoiding conversation when he’d had his social fill.

 

 

Dave had wondered around the busy back yard in awe of the music, the dancing, and the happy people. Bro wasn’t usually mean to him around people, so Dave was relaxed. He felt safe. He enjoyed the random person who would stop what they were doing and coo over how adorable he was and how he must belong to Bro because they both had such cool shades. Dave had been proud of that.

 

 

Dave had to go to the bathroom, and even though he knew where it was from Bro house-sitting there every year, he went to tell Bro where he was going. Bro’s arm had relaxed enough to fall limp next to the lawn chair, and his chin was resting heavily against his chest. Dave was afraid to wake him. Bro didn’t like it when he bothered him at home while he was sleeping. He couldn’t think of any reason not to simply go to the bathroom, so he went inside the house.

 

 

He didn’t take long, but when he walked back outside in the night air, Bro’s chair was empty. Dave felt a sudden wave of panic as he scanned the yard for him. The smell of booze and smoke and the echoing laughter around him all seemed suddenly ominous. Before he’d seen every person as a potential for compliments and attention. Bro would never let anyone else hurt him. Even if Bro was mean to him all the time, Dave couldn’t imagine what some psycho stranger might do. Now everyone was a potential kidnapper in his wide eyes.

 

 

Dave unconsciously walked to the lawn chair. Bro wouldn’t have left him there, would he? Alone? He would come back. Dave just needed to wait somewhere familiar.

 

 

An intelligent feminine voice washed over his frightened shoulders and caused him to relax. “Dave? There you are, honey.” She knelt next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Your brother was freaking out. Well, as much as he can freak out.” Another girl giggled, but Dave was worried now that he’d upset Bro. “He went in the house looking for you, I think.”

 

 

Someone started talking to the girls and they turned around to engage in the conversation. Dave wouldn’t realize until he was older that they were too drunk to stay on task or they wouldn’t have turned away from him.

 

 

Dave’s heart was hammering violently as he worried over Bro’s wrath. He wrung his hands in his shirt as he moved to walk around the pool where he could more easily reach the sliding doors around all the people so that he could go in and look for Bro. He wanted to save him as much trouble as he could.

 

 

Everyone seemed like a threat, so his young mind couldn’t have possibly picked out the real threat among the crowd. One of the guys who had been hatefully laughing at them from before saw him coming. Dave didn’t know what hit him. All he knew was one moment his feet were on solid ground, and the next his face was plummeting towards the deep end of the pool.

 

 

Dave sank like a rock. All the lights and music were distant now. Someone screamed, and that was just as muffled as everything else. Dave’s arms and legs were kicking, but he didn’t have the experience or the strength to get him any closer to the surface. Water was forcing its way into his nose, which made him panic and try to gulp in some air. The last thing he remembered before he blacked out was the far away sound of a splash.

 

 

When he came to, he was coughing his lungs up and surrounded by a circle of legs. He was face-down and there was a strong arm around his waist holding him at a downward angle to make the water drain out of him. It was working. Water was still gushing from his nose and burning his insides as it went. He realized he was hearing Bro’s voice as he leaned over him and pat his back. The deep vibrations were uncharacteristically soothing and concerned.

 

 

“That’s it, kiddo. Get it out. Take a breath. Keep workin’.”

 

 

Dave didn’t even remember how he’d come to be in the pool until he tuned in to one of the girls screeching at the guy responsible; accusing him because he had to have known that kid couldn’t swim. He’d seen Dave in the float earlier.

 

 

Dave thought Bro was ignoring it. He looked up to the man and found his sunglasses were on top of his head to better study him in the dim light.

 

 

“You a’ight?”

 

 

Dave nodded as he gasped. “I’m-” He had another fit of coughing. “I’m s-sorry, Bro-”

 

 

“Kay. You’re alright.” Bro stuffed his sunglasses into Dave’s hand. “Watch these for me.” Dave rolled onto his back and looked up at him. Bro was pointing into a crowd now. “You. You did it.” His finger moved slightly, and water dripped from his soaked clothes down onto Dave’s face. Bro had been the one to pull Dave out of the water, Dave realized then. “You watched it happen and didn’t stop it.” He _had_ been listening to what the girls had been yelling.

 

 

Dave struggled to sit up so he could see where Bro was disappearing to. There were several shrieks and plenty of cheering as Bro beat the hell out of the guy who had let it happen. The guy who threw Dave was rolling around on the ground holding his nose. Bro could have dropped them both and been done with it, but he was punishing them. The one swing he took at the culprit was to incapacitate him; to save him until Bro was done with his sidekick.

 

 

When Bro was satisfied with how many people were begging him to stop instead of cheering anymore, he turned on his main prize. He grabbed the guy’s leg when he tried to crawl away and straddled him to rearrange his face. He didn’t take as long as on the other guy. Instead, he stood and dragged the man into the pool. Dave thought he heard him saying something about how does he like it as he repeatedly dunked and held him under water until the guy was begging for mercy.

 

 

When everyone was gone, Dave pretended to be asleep while Bro’s rich friend, Marven, had a talk with him.

 

 

“I’ve got them sufficiently scared outta trying to say anything to anybody, but dude! Come on! Was it necessary to-”

 

 

“I’d do the same thing to anybody that tried to drown you, teddy bear.” His voice was flat.

 

 

Marven laughed helplessly. “And I appreciate that. But I’m gonna have to delete the security footage. You know you’re on there pressing a guy’s arm into a grill? And you were grinning about it? And dude, I don’t even see you smile, but I’m kinda glad I haven’t seen it before.”

 

 

“Why? They’re on the footage throwing a goddamn toddler into a pool. I think anyone would let a little excessive force slide.”

 

 

“They both pissed themselves and were begging for their lives.”

 

 

“Mmhmm.” Bro knew his rich friend would make it all go away.

 

 

“Dude. I’m not having the security camera on anymore when you’re around. I don’t need it and it only seems to be a liability.”

 

 

Dave knew that Bro had been making those guys pay for what they’d done, but in later years he had to wonder if he was defending Dave or punishing them for a slight against what he saw as his own property, or investment. The image of Bro’s darkly satisfied expression while he repeatedly dunked and held the guy in the water was etched into Dave’s memory. Knowing there was someone like Bro out there who could use water to hurt and terrorize in such a way didn’t make Dave any more excited to get more familiar with the substance.

 

 

It was many years later before Dave began to expect exactly what type of guy Bro really was. He had too many examples in his brain of Bro enjoying himself while causing pain to avoid admitting his brother was a sadist. He wondered just how sexual it was on Bro’s end, or if it had more to do with adrenaline or some brain chemical that he was trying to get a high off of. The whole thing put an awkward spin on every situation where Bro hurt him, and Dave didn’t want to think about it.

 

 

Or...he thought at first that he didn’t want to think about it. It shocked Dave the first time he realized he was watching Bro’s subtle ques and trying to decide whether or not he was turned on. Other things that Bro hurt were hit and runs. With Dave, he kept coming back. He was his favorite punching bag, and something about that touched him. He wanted to be Bro’s favorite something.

 

 

Bro didn’t put the moves on him. The years went by. Dave wondered if maybe Bro didn’t need to get off sexually. Maybe his pain thing was all he had. Dave reached the age of consent and he became even more fidgety around him as he waited for an advance that never came.

 

 

He was trying not to think on it as they spent another few weeks at the mansion. The party came and went uneventfully. Bro fell asleep in the back yard on a lawn chair next to the pool shortly after the cleaning crew for the party finished up and left. Dave was glad they were finally alone. He loved poking around the mansion and going through Marven’s video game collection.

 

 

The sun set and there was still no sign of Bro. Dave squinted to see that Bro was still asleep in the lawn chair. He must have moved at some point because he had a fresh drink next to him, but he hadn’t bothered to turn on any lights.

 

 

It was as good a time as any to try and teach himself to stop freaking out about water. Bro was nearby without Dave having to be uncool and ask for him to watch him in case he needed saving, and there was no one else around to make him feel insecure. Dave found a pair of Marven’s swim trunks and tied the string tight to keep them in place on his thin frame.

 

 

Bro didn’t react when Dave opened the sliding door. Dave wasn’t sure if he saw him or not. He couldn’t tell behind Bro’s sunglasses, and Dave’s own shades made it that much harder to see in the night. Dave sat on the edge of the pool and dipped his legs into the water. He sat his sunglasses to the side. He tried not to let his eyes linger on how he could almost see up Bro’s swimming trunks. He looked to his lap to avoid ogling his exposed chest.

 

 

Dave wondered what was wrong with himself. He was still so tiny, and it made him feel more fragile as he inched his way forward. His fingers clenched on the concrete and he cursed as he pressed away from the water.

 

 

“Bro? Y-you awake?” He took a breath to try and steady his shaky voice.

 

 

Bro didn’t move as he answered. “Yuhp.”

 

 

If his eyes were on him, Dave couldn’t tell. Dave wished that he’d worn a shirt, but that would have seemed insecure and stupid. Bro was still wearing his gloves, but he looked like he’d been swimming at some point during the day. Dave kind of wished that Bro was wearing a shirt before he wound up popping a boner in the thin shorts where his brother might notice. Dave realized this last concern was becoming a real issue. It gave him the inspiration to finally slide off the edge to hide his lower half beneath the surface.

 

 

Dave tensed as his skin adjusted to the lukewarm water surrounding his legs. That worked to get his libido under control a little bit, so he was free again to be totally freaked out that he was in water up to his waist. He gritted his teeth and bent his knees, sinking slowly downwards. It was so dark. He couldn’t see the bottom of the pool. He couldn’t see the ground, and what did he expect, that a shark was in there or something?

 

 

“Nope.” Dave cursed and stood, backing toward the ledge. He felt a little safer when his palms found the dry concrete, so he tilted his face toward the sky and let out a breath as he tried to convince himself to try again.

 

 

Bro was already stepping down into the shallow end far too close to him before Dave even noticed he’d moved at all. Dave instinctively jumped back so that he was sitting on the edge once again. He was starting to pull his legs up when Bro reached him and pressed his hands on his thighs to hold him in place.

 

 

Dave’s eyes were wide as he found Bro’s sunglasses a few inches away from his face. “Bro? W-what, uh, whatcha doin’ there?”

 

 

“Come back in.” His face and body language gave no clues as to what he was up to. He pressed harder against Dave’s legs when he unconsciously tried to leave again.

 

 

“I d-don’t w-want to. I’ve got a...a...thing...to do.” Dave gasped when Bro picked him up with his hands under his arms as if he was a toddler. “No! Dude, come on!”

 

 

“Relax.” Bro lowered him gently into the water, but all Dave could see was the image in his mind of Bro’s wicked grin as he enjoyed drowning a man who was much bigger then than Dave was now.

 

 

Bro’s hands drifted down to Dave’s hips and Dave shivered as he realized Bro was still wearing his gloves. What had made Bro make a B-line for the pool without taking off his gloves or his hat or his sunglasses? Dave’s gut told him it was that fear-starved creature curled somewhere deep in Bro’s chest that had brought him over to what it had identified as a wounded antelope. Bro’s fingers twitched as he coaxed Dave to walk with him as he stepped back.

 

 

“I won’t dunk your face or splash you or some shit.” Bro’s voice was a little deeper than usual. “Promise.”

 

 

Dave’s body was quivering all over as Bro’s grip tightened and he forced him forward. “Bro, I don’t want to go any c-closer to the deep end, okay? Bro?” He was still pulling him toward the deep end.

 

 

“Trust me.” The way he whispered it didn’t make Dave want to trust him at all.

 

 

Dave swallowed heavily. “Bro don’t do this to me. Not...not this.” Dave’s feet slipped when he resisted, and his hands clamped onto Bro’s arms. A jolt of fire raced up his fingertips as he realized he was touching Bro and the man wasn’t slapping him away or berating him for him. The water was rising up his waist and Dave knew there was a steep drop-off in just a few inches. “Bro, please.” He wouldn’t release him. He kept moving.

 

 

Dave’s toes felt the incline and he panicked. Bro was sinking down lower and Dave’s hands clutched his shoulders. “Bro, please!”

 

 

He yelped as Bro yanked him forward so that Dave’s body fell flush against him. All Dave’s awareness shot to Bro’s hand sliding down to his ass and squeezing as he encouraged Dave to wrap his legs around his waist. Dave was helpless to do anything different as his arms instinctively wrapped tightly around Bro’s shoulders.

 

 

“Don’t let go! Don’t let go, Bro, okay? Please don’t go under water, god, please don’t take us under the water! Bro, I can’t do this!”

 

 

He wasn’t sure if Bro moaned in response or if he was just losing his mind. Bro’s hands fanned out as he took them away from the incline. Dave was locked in place, quaking violently and hyperventilating, so he didn’t notice when Bro had reached his destination. He reached a hand up to the end of the diving board so that he could leisurely bend his knees and give Dave something more solid to sit on.

 

 

Bro purposefully exhaled onto Dave’s neck and the warm air sent a shiver across his shoulders. “Relax,” he coaxed into Dave’s ear and Dave whimpered as he felt his cock responding. He wouldn’t be able to hide that much longer, yet, he couldn’t let go.

 

 

“L-look, Bro. You d-don’t have to make me get used to this or anything. I don’t think I’m going to get any more comfortable with-”

 

 

“Who says I want you to get comfortable with it?” Bro’s hand was squeezing his backside again. He groaned against Dave’s ear when he rolled his hips forward and discovered that Dave was hard. “I knew you got off on me scaring you, kid.”

 

 

Is that what was happening? Dave wasn’t sure, but there was no way he could miss the massive arousal pressing against him in return. Bro did like him like that. Or, at least, he liked how Dave responded to him when he did his weird pain/fear thing.

 

 

Dave was still other than his rapid heartbeat as he continued to cling to Bro for dear life. There was no space between them. It felt like every inch of his body was touching the man’s naked skin somewhere, and he’d never felt so intimate with anyone in his life. Dave didn’t trust his voice to speak, or his mind to make up some excuse for his body right off the top of his head. The crickets hiding amongst the thick foliage along the fence row chirped noisily, and it was the only sound for some time as Bro simply held him there. He seemed content to seep in Dave’s fear and confusion.

 

“I th-think it’s starting to rain.” Dave was glad for something to comment on as he noticed the spatters in the water around them. The rain quickly increased to a drizzle, and then the skies suddenly opened into a downpour.

 

 

The diving board creaked as Bro slid his hand further up the board to move both their heads beneath it. Dave startled at the movement and his fingers dug into Bro’s back. He was close enough to feel the man’s chest vibrate against his when Bro spoke.

 

 

“You’re about gettin’ old enough to move out. You got any plans on leavin’ me?” Dave shook his head in denial, and Bro continued in a growl. “You can’t get away from me. I won’t let you.” It was truer than he knew. Even if Dave left, he’d never escape Bro inside his head.

 

 

“I...I don’t want to. But...”

 

 

“But?” Bro’s arm tightened around his waist and for a heart stopping moment Dave thought he was going to take them under.

 

 

“B-but I just, kind of, wish...you wouldn’t hurt me so much. Th-that’s all.” A whimper snuck past his lips when Bro’s hand dropped back to his backside and he rolled their hips together. It was almost enough to make Dave forget about how much water was splashing around them with the rain.

 

 

“I don’t have to hurt you anymore.” Bro didn’t seem to mind how tightly Dave was hanging onto him. “As long as you always keep in mind that I _could_ hurt you, if I wanted.”

 

 

_What the fuck? Why?_ Dave didn’t ask. “I couldn’t forget that.”

 

 

“Take these off.” Bro’s finger tugged at Dave’s waistband.

 

 

“W-what? HOLY SHIT OKAY!” Dave scrambled to do what he was told when Bro let his hand slip away from the diving board and he sank down four or five inches. If he could tremble any more than he already was, he would have when Bro removed his pants as well. He tightened his hold and Dave mewled as their lower halves pressed together.

 

 

“Touch yourself.” Bro sat his sunglasses on top of the diving board and guided Dave to look at him. He shifted their bodies so that there were a few inches between them. When Dave’s breathing became panicked, he comforted him. “I’ve got you. Trust me. Do what I tell you.”

 

 

Dave was reluctant to let go with one hand, but he finally managed by sliding his hand down Bro’s chest first. Bro’s eyes closed briefly as Dave’s hand moved down his stomach and ghosted along his cock before grasping himself as he’d been instructed. Dave’s breath exhaled in a shudder as he slowly stroked himself, and Bro’s lips parted when Dave’s knuckles kept brushing against his length in the process.

 

 

Dave pressed his legs further apart when he felt Bro’s fingers sliding down his cleft. He had used toys on himself before, so he wasn’t as nervous as he could have been when he felt the pad of one of his fingers prodding against him. The pleasure of the building heat in Dave’s hand was effectively distracting him from the fear of his surroundings. He began to relax to the lulling sound of the rain so much that his hand started to slide from Bro’s shoulder. He didn’t realize he was starting to float back until Bro’s hand gently left him and pressed against his back to slide him back up the seat of his legs before Dave was able to slip off.

 

 

Dave’s free arm quickly groped back around Bro’s shoulders and brought them flush against one another again. Bro groaned when Dave absently started moving his hand again and managed to cause friction for his cock wedged between his own stomach and Dave’s hand. Bro’s thumb feathered against Dave’s back to soothe him before he dropped it back down to continue preparing him. He took his time, and Dave was desperate for more by the time Bro finally stopped.

 

 

“Hold onto me. Lift up a bit.” Bro shifted around and pressed himself at Dave’s entrance. Dave tried to focus more on the pleasure in his hand as he was slowly stretched and filled. It was easy for him to relax when Bro started murmuring encouragements to him with a labored voice that made it obvious he was feeling good because of him. “There you go, babydoll. That’s a good boy. Fuck, so tight...”

 

 

He was still even long after Dave had time to adjust. If Dave couldn’t feel Bro’s rapid heartbeat, he wouldn’t have known he was struggling to pace himself at all. Dave rocked against him and Bro’s hand tightened painfully on his ass. Bro thrust into him for several moments until he became too still again. When Dave tried to wriggle against him, Bro’s hand moved to his hips to still him.

 

 

“Focus on you.”

 

 

“I’m really close.” The scent of chlorine mingled with the mucky smell of fresh rain on usually dry ground as Dave inhaled to gather himself.

 

 

Bro responded by pumping a few times achingly slow and then stopping again. “Focus on you,” he repeated.

 

 

Dave could just barely see Bro’s eyes lingering on his lips in the distant light from the house. He dropped his forehead to rest on his brother’s. “F-fuck, Bro. I’m c-close. Feels...good...” He gasped when Bro moved inside him again. “I’m gonna come...fuck...I’m...” Dave seized up stiff when Bro smashed their mouths together and forced his tongue past his lips. He spoke around his tongue. “Coming...”

 

 

Bro groaned long and low as Dave’s body clenched and twitched through his release. He continued not to move until Dave had the minimum, he needed to come back to his senses. Then he suddenly dipped Dave back as if he was going to push him under. The back of Dave’s head barely graced the water before Bro was pulling him back against his chest. Dave screamed anyway and his hands clawed for Bro’s shoulders. His entire body quaked uncontrollably as he released a slew of begging and curses.

 

 

“Fuck!” Bro was cursing too, but for different reasons. “Fuck, yeah, baby. Fuck, I got ya.” He wasn’t subtle about moaning through his release. His arm was gripping Dave as tightly as Dave was gripping him as he pushed deep and emptied himself to the experience of Dave completely losing it.

 

 

“Don’t let go! Don’t go underwater! Bro, please!” Dave realized that Bro was petting his hair and his back, and only then did he accept that he wasn’t drowning. “You-you-you’re m-messed up! You’re so f-fucking m-messed up, Bro!”

 

 

He wanted to stay appalled at how Bro had just come to terrifying him, but then Bro hummed his agreement like he completely accepted Dave’s words with no shame, and he pressed his lips against Dave’s cheek carefully. Dave turned his face to look at him, and Bro tilted his head as if asking this time for a kiss instead of stealing it. The kiss was tender and imploring, though what Bro was searching for, Dave wasn’t sure.

 

 

When he finally pulled back, he actually expressed an insecurity. “You don’t really care, though. That I’m messed up.”

 

 

“No. You’re awesome. Best brother ever.” Dave closed his eyes as he tried to fight away the dread that Bro was going to be cruel to him now that he had gotten what he wanted. “But, Bro. Please. Please. Please don’t let go or take me under.”

 

 

“You tryin’ to go again or somethin’?” When Dave only whimpered, Bro arranged his hold on him more securely. “I said to trust me.” He moved his hat to Dave’s head so the rain wouldn’t pelt him from both above and below once Bro began to move around the pool with him.

 

 

“Okay.” Dave’s heart fluttered rapidly as Bro’s hand moved along the diving board to the side of the pool. When his hand landed on their pants, he gathered them to bring along. Dave was glad Bro had kept up with where their clothes had gone or they’d both be walking into the house in the buff, and Dave wasn’t sure if he could play off the confidence of a limping, sore-ass walk of shame.

 

 

Dave held onto him in paranoia as Bro slowly guided them back to the shallow end. When Dave didn’t release him right away and stand to leave the water, he knew that Dave was wanting an excuse to continue the contact.

 

 

“Let’s dry off and continue this cuddling bullshit inside. You can sleep in my bed.”

 

 

“Really?” Dave cleared his throat when he realized how needy he sounded. “I mean, a’ight. Word.”

 

 

“You gotta let go for that to happen.” Bro said this, but he had yet to let go of Dave, either. “You hungry? Let’s order somethin’.”

 

 

“Shit yeah!” Dave let go and scrambled to hop into his pants in the water. He almost fell forward, but Bro caught him out of reflex.

 

 

“After all that trouble I went through to talk myself out of shoving you under and you go and almost do it to yourself?” Bro walked up the concrete steps and rang out his shorts before putting them on. Dave slid his sunglasses into place so Bro wouldn’t see him staring. “I’ve always seen you lookin’, ya know.” Bro hummed simply as he headed for the door.

 

 

“Because you never take your eyes off me.” Dave meant it as a lighthearted jab, but when Bro answered him with a confirmation, Dave shuddered. Though, Dave wasn’t sure if it was a pleasant shudder or a shudder of dread.

 

 

“That’s right. Don’t forget it.”

 

 

Dave decided the feeling was somewhere in between the extremes. Bro scared him, but Dave liked it. Apparently, Bro liked it too, a lot more than Dave had ever imagined. But Dave, as always, was ready to follow Bro’s lead. He’d go down with this ship as long as they were together; as long as he wasn’t alone. Sink or swim, Dave was in this for the long run. Not that Bro was giving him a choice. At least, though, Bro hadn’t made Dave make the literal choice to sink or swim.

 

 

 


End file.
